A New Day, A New Us part 6

After clearing out of Johnny’s shack and getting Tracy back to her car I head home trying to piece together what I’m going to do tomorrow and what I’m going to say. I pull in the driveway and see Kori’s mother’s van parked in front of the house. I bolt inside and find everyone my Mom and Dad talking with Mary. I get a hello out of my mouth while bolting through the house; I hear the girl’s talking in Liz’s room and throw the door open. There is Liz, Katy and Kori sitting on Liz’s bed talking, at least until I barge in the room. Liz and Katy are in t-shirts and short but Kori is sporting a loose knit top and some sweatpants but more importantly I’m not seeing any signs of bandages.

“Girls I need to speak with Korinna please,” I say quietly.

“But it’s my room,” Liz says as Katy stands her up and pulls her out.

“I’ve missed you,” Kori says sheepishly.

“I’ve been making a fool of myself for you, but you haven’t been there to see it,” I reply keeping my voice down.

“You’re not making a fool of yourself baby, I want them to be afraid and you’re doing that,” Kori says putting on a happy face.

“Except this way is slow and lazy, yes people are becoming afraid of me and the rest of the crew somewhat but this will go a lot faster if you let me start taking the guys who beat you and put them in a burn barrel,” I tell her pacing.

“Okay but I’ve got a surprise for you tomorrow if you’re tired of waiting but I want more fear and I want Heather,” Kori says taking my hand to stop the pacing.

“Yeah well I don’t, I don’t want her words or her presence,” I tell Kori stopping and sitting down on the bed,” I do want the names of the guys who did this.”

“I know baby but all I have are faces, I don’t know them personally,” Kori says quietly.

Kori is popular as hell and could find anyone’s name at school in a matter of minutes. I get a bolt out of the blue and grab my phone; I shoot a text off to Jun to see who Kyle was friends with last year. Kori is wondering what is going on but a reply text a minute later tells me Kyle wasn’t at our school last year. I reply to Jun to run it against the school Ben came from and show Kori the texts to bring her up to speed.

“Honey I trust Ben and you should too,” Kori tells me while we wait.

“Yeah trust someone who let you get taken away to do what exactly? I’ve seen about as much of him at school as I have of you,” I say to Kori getting a little agitated.

“Baby calm down, they’re both transfers but Ben is a friend of mine,” Kori says trying to persuade me,” If you trust me then just trust him, there is a surprise and it’ll get you what you are craving baby.”

“I’m craving a lot of things I can’t have right now honey,” I tell her sitting back down.

“Sooner than later honey, I’m still stiff and a little bruised but healing well,” Kori says cuddling up to me.

Katy and Liz come back in and I bring them up to speed on what I’ve been having Jun work on. Katy starts to spin on a more aggressive strategy of just taking Kori around and finding the guys on the street but Kori shoots that down. Finally Kori heads home around eight and I’m alone in my room when Liz decides to pop it.

“Hey sis, if you’re looking for a replay of the other day I’m game but you need to keep from moaning too loud,” I say smirking from my computer.

“And like Kori I’m a little bruised bro,” Liz says after closing the door,” but in a good way. I have a pair of targets for you if you’re interested?”

“Kori won’t like us rushing the gun,” I tell Liz turning in my chair.

“And either you are saying no or you’re warning me off,” Liz replies moving to sit on my bed,” First off however I need to know that Greg is off the menu, I know you’d love to hurt him physically but if we work this out I want him left alone.”

“Okay I don’t understand why but unless he comes after one of us I’ll leave him alone,” I promise Liz while thinking about a way around it.

“Alright, well I say go after Greg’s sister Allison. I know she’s not in the moralist camp like Greg but she and I have been talking and I think if you brought her over to our side it would fuck with his head which I am comfortable with. The other person is that fucking bodyguard of Heather’s, I got a bead on her and I know where she’ll be Friday after school if you’re interested,” Liz says giving me the rundown.

“All sounds fine except for the nobody to beat like a drum option,” I tell Liz frustrated,” Also we have a conflicting plan if we go after the bodyguard, Devin has a crush on her and wants help convincing her to come around to our way of thinking.”

“Okay so no bodyguard but can we do something with Greg’s sister please,” Liz asks pleading a little.

I nod and get a hug around the neck for my taking on yet another task. Liz leaves me alone to my thoughts and I head to bed to get ready for the next day. Thursday and I’m moving around like I’m walking on water, people part the way as I walk and even a few teachers are keeping an eye on me throughout the day. At lunch I drop the location of where I’m going to give my speech from and aside from people wanting a preview, I keep my lips sealed and only chuckle when asked questions. During homeroom I get a heads up from everyone that there should be a good turnout and that the walking park is a good location. Hippies in the area decided a while back to make a park, state picked up the idea but nobody took out the fifty feet of trees around the park on all sides. No cars can get in and there’s even a playground for children in there, or for me something to stand on. All of us get out of school and head straight for the park where I get a pleasant surprise, Johnny is waiting there with several of his crew and he’s decked out in a hooded sleeveless jacket.

“Hey man, I got some security for your vehicular transport while you say what you need to say,” Johnny says with a smile.

“Well after this hopefully I can help you get back on track with your thing sooner than later,” I reply heading into the park.

Not many people are here yet considering the light rain usually causes people want to stay inside but I spot Vicki and a few punks standing around. I pass them and get on top of a straight metal slide and crouch down to wait for more people to arrive. It takes the better part of an hour but I’m staring at about sixty or seventy students who have gathered. I have my hood down over my face and stand up before raising one hand and listen to the crowd go silent.

“I believe I have your attention. You came here to learn the truth and believe but first I have a question,” I say to the crowd,” Do you want to know what I believe in?”

I can hear some confusion and more than a few people say yes. I shake my head and look out into the crowd.

“I believe in what I see in front of me. I see people who are tired of being backed into a corner and told what they have to do by someone who are going to push them to get their way. I see my peers too quiet and too scared to even stand up for themselves. I believe in the idea that if people don’t like you for who you are THEN FUCK THEM! There is nothing wrong with you,” I yell out getting their attention,” I believe that you are who YOU want to be because it makes you happy. The people in front of you in the hoods are my family because it’s the only label that we acknowledge and we’re proud of it. You want me to do something about these oppressive assholes.”

I listen in again and hear people talking and more people saying yes. Again I shake my head.

“Well why haven’t you done anything about it? There are at least fifty people here who could have shut down the bullying but you stood afraid because the person being bullied wasn’t you at the time was it,” I turn my attention to Hideo in the front of the crowd,” You there, you were present when Vicki and her punk friends were being bullied and you did nothing because they weren’t in your group.”

I can see his shame and more than a few are glaring at him and some of the people next to him. I draw their attention back, pointing at the crowd.

“None of you are any different so I’d think twice before attacking him. And even if he were the only one being victimized if you don’t help people who are suffering the same abuse as you it leaves you alone when they come back to get you. You need a rallying point and I’m here, we can end this regime. But you have to put all your lies to rest, no freaks or punks, no nerds or jocks, no popular or outcast. Either you all come together to face them down or you get put down when they try to do to you what they’ve done to others who stood up against them,” I tell the assembled crowd.

I can hear them talking amongst themselves and motion to my family to go out among them. I watch the mingling and explaining go on, I see some of the groups blending. It’s uneasy but I need them on the same page if I’m going to push back. A pair of figures heading towards the assembled group get my attention quick and I spot Ben and one of the ‘moralists’. I recognize him as the preppy that was driving the car when I gave Hanna a ride home.

“And here they come everyone,” I point out Ben and his friend,” You are here seeking something more.”

“I’m here to put you back in your place you lunatic,” the boy says stepping into the crowd.

I slide down the slide and motion for everyone to part the way; I see my family start taking up positions around him and Ben. Both are dressed in black slacks but Ben has a blue polo shirt and brown leather jacket on while the preppy kid has a white button up shirt and a grey windbreaker. I get about ten feet away from them and stop.

“Is this truly what you want,” I ask them.

“Yes, this is what I was asked to do,” Ben says before turning to the preppy kid and backing up pulls his hood over his head.

“Wait you said you understood what happened,” the kid says to Ben shocked.

“I do understand, but Kori is my friend. I don’t turn my back on my friends,” Ben says taking position in the circle around him,” This is your moment Bryan, do what you will.”

I can see Bryan is confused but he’s holding his side and I’m not sure what’s under his coat is too big for a gun or knife.

“Is this what you want,” I ask Bryan pulling my hood off my head.

I watch the baseball bat come out of Bryan’s coat and people start talking. I can see my family moving
in to take him down but I stop them with a gesture.

“I’ll give you want you want,” I tell Bryan taking my coat off, then following it with my shirt.

I’m standing in a light rain with no shirt or coat on and a crowd around me staring as a scared ‘moralist’ with a bat is trying to find his courage. Everyone in my family wants him but I’m not done proving my point. I hold my arms out straight and look Bryan in his eyes.

“I’m right here, do it. Come on, do it, do it,” I see him waver at my acceptance for a beating,” WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? THIS IS WHAT YOU WANT! DO IT!”

My telling Bryan to do it has him scared and looking for a way out. I can see him looking for the best spot to make a break for it and watch him settle on Jun, sadly his commitment to Jun on his left leaves him open on his right as Katy crosses the five or so feet and slams her fist into his jaw. I watch Bryan drop to the ground and the bat goes rolling away as Katy moves in for the kill. Girl takes a page out of my book and gets into a top mount position and starts hammering away at Bryan’s face, Bryan for the most part is trying to roll away and keep his fists up but Katy is screaming and angry as she rains rights and lefts down on him. Jun grabs the bat from the ground and I start half dancing half walking up to the beat down and place my hand on Katy’s shoulder as I see Bryan isn’t doing much defending since he’s been knocked stupid.

“Ease up Sister, this one isn’t going anywhere and I have something better in mind,” I tell Katy quietly.

I help Katy off of Bryan and motion to Devin and Mathilda to stand him up. I let them get him to his feet, each one holding an arm by the shoulder and with him bent over exposing his head. I wave to Jun and he brings me the bat.

“As I said they are snakes who do not care about the feelings of the mice,” I say gesturing to the crowd before pointing at Katy,” And now a group of ‘mice’ just showed a ‘snake’ that there are more of them than there are of him. Now I guess we see what happens when mice turn the tables on a snake.”

I can see Bryan coming to his senses and I watch him struggle against Devin and Mathilda but they have him firmly in place. I use the bat to tip his head up to face me; I am covered in rain and must look like the devil himself because Bryan is crying at me.

“Bryan, I want the students that did Kori on Friday. You give me them and I promise you that you will bear my message to your friends and not be my message to them,” I tell Bryan quietly.

“I’m sorry, I don’t know them I swear,” Bryan says starting to cry.

“Then you must be made an example so that they know what I’m going to do when I find them,” I say moving the bat to the back of his head.

“They don’t go to our school, I was told to pick up a phone from Taylor. He said it belonged to your girl and to give it to Heather,” Bryan screams out crying.

“So Taylor knows who they are, well that changes things,” I say lowering the bat off his head,” Are they friends of Taylor’s?”

“Kyle knows them, Taylor came up with the idea and Heather approved it,” Bryan says still held fast.

Pieces from yesterday start clicking into place, Kyle has the connections and a pretty face will distract even me if used properly. Get people who don’t know Kori to take her out to the stone field and beat her so she can’t identify them at school. It’s a brilliant plan except the loose ends they left in their delivery. I break from my deep thought and return my attention Bryan.

“Well now that I know I have some bad news for you, I know that you’re not sorry you helped them. You are sorry you were on the losing side,” I turn my attention to my family,” Katy had her fun, anyone else want him before we send him back?”

I can hear the crowd talking and some of them are looking like they want a piece but my attention gets pulled by Natsuko tapping me on the shoulder. I turn to her and she holds her hand out for the bat. I hand it to her but hold up a finger telling her to wait one moment. I move in close to Bryan’s head so he can hear me.

“You will live through this, if you don’t abandon Heather and Kyle after this I will make sure to come for you and finish this myself, do you understand,” I ask quietly.

Bryan nods and I stand up straight and walk back to my coat and sit on it cross legged to watch Natsuko.